Scottish Executive

Domestic Finance

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of household savings, household liabilities and household debt has been in each of the last five years expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Ms Margaret Curran: Information on the proportion of private households with savings within broad bands is collected by the Scottish Household Survey. However, it is not possible to estimate the total level of household savings.

  The Executive does not currently collect information on household debt and liabilities. It is planned that the proposed Office of National Statistics survey on wealth and assets will collect information on household debt. The survey is in its early development stages. If it goes ahead, some data for Scotland should be available from this source.

Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school with no qualifications in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: Due to the volume of information requested, the table "Number and percentage of school pupils with no qualifications at Standard Grade (or equivalent) or better on leaving school" has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33501). The data used in this table relates to publicly funded schools only, including special schools.

  An updated version of the table "Number and percentage of school pupils who have not attained English or Mathematics Standard Grades (or equivalent) on leaving school", which was previously supplied in answer to S2W-9631 on 10 August 2004, has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre to allow direct comparison. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The new methodology includes the small number of pupils with no candidate numbers who are assumed to have no qualifications.

Emergency Planning

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why Her Majesty’s Government’s and its Scottish edition of the Preparing for Emergencies booklet is not available in Gaelic; when a Gaelic edition will be produced, and how it will be distributed.

  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  A dh’fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba carson nach eil an riochd dhen leabhran a chaidh a dhèanamh leotha agus le Riaghaltas na Banrigh Preparing for Emergencies ri fhaighinn anns a’ Ghàidhlig; agus a dh’fhaighneachd cuin a thèid riochd Gàidhlig a dhèanamh, agus ciamar a thèid a sgaoileadh.

Cathy Jamieson: A Scottish Gaelic edition of the booklet can be found on the Planning for Emergencies website ( http://www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk ). Copies can be downloaded from this site. Alternatively hard copies can be ordered through the Scottish Executive Central Enquiry Unit (Tel 08457 741 741).

  The Scottish Executive has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  Gheibhear tionndadh Gàidhlig den leabhran air an làraich-lìn 'Ag Ullachadh airson Èiginn' (http://www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk). Faodar lethbhreacan a luchdachadh a-nuas bhon làraich seo air neo gheibhear iad air pàipear bho Phrìomh Aonad Fiosrachaidh Riaghaltas na h-Alba (Fòn 08457 741 741).

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what new steps it will take to increase the business birth rate, in light of recent VAT registration data.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is committed to improving the business birth rate, although direct support for new and existing businesses in Scotland is largely a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise launched their New Approach to Entrepreneurship in January 2002. This addresses a range of issues relevant to Scotland’s business start-up rate and was developed following a review of Scottish Enterprise’s Business Birth Rate Strategy by the Fraser of Allander Institute, completed in June 2001.

  Measures introduced in the Scottish Enterprise area include Business Gateway – a first stop access to support and advice to business start-ups and growing businesses. In addition, I recently announced the introduction of a new £1,000 business start-up grant for young people aged 18 to 30 years, which will be available from 1 October 2004; a substantial contribution to the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust’s Revolving Loan Fund which provides loans for new start-up businesses, and boosted the existing Highlands and Islands Enterprise start-up programme by a £1 million over the next two years.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to assist prawn fishermen and whether the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will meet a deputation of representatives of fishermen to hear the arguments they have made in relation to the west of Scotland nephrops quota so that an application can be made for an increase in that quota.

Ross Finnie: I discussed West Coast Nephrops (prawns) in detail at my meeting with leaders of Scottish Fishermen’s Federation on 21 July, and also with local representatives on my visit to the Western Isles on 16 August. I do not believe that there would be any additional value in further discussions at this time.

  The Scottish Executive continues to press the case for an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) and the UK has written accordingly to the European Commission, requesting a review of current TAC arrangements, and to the International Council for Exploration of the Sea’s, requesting a review of the most recent scientific advice. The requests have been underpinned by increased scientific effort and detailed submissions demonstrating a greater abundance of Nephrops on the West Coast than had been previously assessed.

Income

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average weekly income was in each area served by (a) Argyll and the Isles Enterprise, (b) Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise, (c) Inverness and Nairn Enterprise, (d) Lochaber Enterprise, (e) Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise, (f) Orkney Enterprise, (g) Ross and Cromarty Enterprise, (h) Shetland Enterprise, (i) Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise, (j) Western Isles Enterprise and (k) Highlands and Islands Enterprise network in each year from 1993 to 2003, expressed also as a percentage of the UK average weekly income.

Mr Jim Wallace: Average weekly income figures are not available at the level of Enterprise area.

  Some information on Gross Average Weekly Earnings is available by Enterprise area. The following table shows Gross Average Weekly Earning for full-time employees on adult rates for 1999-2003 for four of the Highland and Islands Enterprise areas, for Scotland as a whole and for the UK. Estimates for the other Highland and Island Enterprise areas are not available due to small sample sizes. The information is from the New Earnings Survey. Data is not available prior to 1999 on this basis.

  

 
1999
 
2000
 
2001
 
2002
 
2003
 


(£)
% of UK Average
(£)
% of UK Average
(£)
% of UK Average
(£)
% of
UK Average
(£)
% of UK Average


Argyll, Bute, Arran and Cumbrae
320.16
80
332.06
79
..
..
342.29
74
..
..


Moray, Badenock and Strathspey
324.19
81
..
..
322.17
73
342.51
74
369.93
78


Inverness and Nairn
356.58
89
374.20
90
396.88
90
..
..
..
..


Lochaber
339.30
85
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..


Scotland
370.17
93
383.04
92
404.81
92
427.08
92
436.76
92


United Kingdom
400.09
100
418.08
100
442.25
100
462.46
100
473.76
100



  Note: ..Estimates are not given where sample sizes are below 30 individuals.

Meat Industry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national beef envelope scheme will increase or decrease the amount of regulation and red tape for farmers.

Ross Finnie: Introduction of the Single Farm Payment (SFP) will greatly reduce the bureaucracy currently undertaken by farmers. The intention is to minimise the impact of the beef national envelope by linking paperwork with the SFP, linking controls with the passport system and integrating inspections.

Meat Industry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who has supported its proposals on a national beef envelope; whether some individuals or bodies who may have expressed broad support in principle for a scheme have not supported the actual scheme as far as its detail has been announced and, in particular, if retail interests have supported the scheme as announced, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre copies of any letters or other indications of support from these interests and which supermarkets have supported its proposals.

Ross Finnie: Copies of responses to the main CAP Reform consultation, which included a question on use of the national envelope provisions, are available from the Scottish Executive library. A summary of these is also on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk . It is not the Executive’s practice to publish letters received from bodies and individuals.

Population

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will liaise with Her Majesty’s Government to set and publish macro-level targets for Scotland on issues such as economic growth, population and average life expectancy and, if so, when it will do so and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a range of matters of relevance to the people of Scotland. We work together to stimulate economic growth. This is the right approach. There are no current plans to publish any joint targets. We will publish our targets across the range of the Executive’s activities for the next three years when we announce the outcome of our spending review.

Population

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what new steps will be taken to avoid a demographic skew towards older people, especially in rural Scotland, in light of the recent population forecast by the Office of National Statistics.

Mr Andy Kerr: In reference to population and age structure generally, I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-9926 on 30 August 2004, all answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Specifically with regard to rural areas, while the Fresh Talent initiative as such does not differentiate between rural and urban areas, we are committed to maintaining strong, prosperous and growing communities in rural Scotland, and are working to ensure that the same opportunities are available to rural residents as to those in urban areas.

Road Accidents

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many road vehicles are operated by each of its departments and agencies; how many personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by each department have occurred in each of the last five years, and what its policy is for managing work-related road safety.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of vehicles operated by each of the Scottish Executive’s departments and its agencies is shown in the following table:

  

Scottish Executive Department
Vehicles


Development Department
29


Education Department
0


Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
5


Environment and Rural Affairs Department
67


Finance and Central Services Department (FCSD)
6


Health Department
0


Justice Department
5


Legal and Parliamentary Services
0


Office of the Permanent Secretary
51


Scottish Executive Agencies 


Accountant in Bankruptcy 
0


Communities Scotland 
31


Fisheries Research Service 
44


Historic Scotland 
115


HM Inspectorate of Education 
3


National Archives of Scotland 
1


Registers of Scotland 
3


Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) 
0


Scottish Court Services 
23


Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 
28


Scottish Prison Service 
90


Scottish Public Pensions Agency 
0


Student Awards Agency for Scotland 
0


Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
22


Total
523



  The following table summarises the number of reported vehicular incidents resulting in personal injury in each Scottish Executive department over the last five years:

  

Scottish Executive Department
Number of Personal injuries, and Year


Development Department
1 in 2000


Education Department
0


Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
0


Environment and Rural Affairs Department
1 in 2002
1 in 2003


Finance and Central Services Department (FCSD)
0


Health Department
0


Justice Department
0


Legal and Parliamentary Services
0


Office of the Permanent Secretary
0


Scottish Executive Agencies 


Accountant in Bankruptcy 
0


Communities Scotland 
0


Fisheries Research Service 
0


Historic Scotland 
2 in 2000
1 in 2003


HM Inspectorate of Education 
0


National Archives of Scotland 
0


Registers of Scotland 
0


Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) 
0


Scottish Court Services 
0


Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 
1 in 2000
2 in 2003
1 in 2004


Scottish Prison Service 
3 in 2002
3 in 2003
3 in 2004


Scottish Public Pensions Agency 
0


Student Awards Agency for Scotland 
0


Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
0



  Note: 1. Please note that these figures relate to the number of personal injuries and not the number of accidents (in some of the cases quoted more than one injury occurred per accident).

  Since the latter part of 2003, guidance from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) on road safety for employees and planning safer journeys has been made available to staff at various health promotion and health and safety events throughout the executive. In January 2004 ROSPA carried out an audit of the Executive’s progress in implementing its Occupational Health and Safety Management System. They recommended that progress on a procedure for the management of occupational road risk should be given priority in the Executive’s Health and Safety planning and it is now scheduled for development in 2004-05.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Legislation

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information it has on how much parliamentary time has been spent scrutinising each Bill since 1999, broken down by legislative stage.

George Reid: The information is not recorded centrally. Staff are working on calculating the time spent on each legislative stage of all Bills, and will publish the results as a SPICe Briefing Paper by the end of October.